Justin Verlander, shown Sept. 8, will try to pitch the Tigers by the Athletics in the division series. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea, US PRESSWIRE

by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

Why they'll flounder: Is it age or experience? Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter all have slugging percentages under .400 over the past month. This for a team that scores a major-league high 48.4% of its runs on homers. Their stars beyond red-hot Robinson Cano must hit.

Why they'll flourish: Is it age or experience? A rejuvenated Ichiro Suzuki is hitting .385 the past month. CC Sabathia held opponents to a .155 batting average over his last three starts with 28 strikeouts in 24 innings. Curtis Granderson has nine homers, 25 RBI in his last 23 games. These guys can handle the moment.

Path to victory: Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda are as strong a 1-2 as any AL playoff team. Ten players are in double figures in homers.

Prognosis: They're in good position to outlast a balanced AL field and there's certainly no arrogance after they narrowly avoided the wild-card play-in game. But there's also no Mariano Rivera, a loss they've weathered so far. It could catch up with them .

Follow this guy: @NickSwisher. A lot of rah-rah stuff, but what do you expect?

#hashtag to know: #27andCounting. In case you forgot, and there isn't a Yankees fan around to remind you, this one will tell you how the Bombers are doing in the quest for World Series title No. 28.

Locals only: You want flavor? Try a steak sandwich at Lobel's of New York on the Field level. One will run you $15. Hey, they have to pay for that hefty payroll somehow.

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2. Washington Nationals

Why they're here: Won the NL East with a 98-64 record.

Why they'll flounder: This playoff stuff is new to most of the players on the roster, and a best-of-five division series can quickly get away from a young team. There's also concern in the bullpen.

Why they'll flourish: Even without Stephen Strasburg, they have the hardest-throwing rotation in the majors. Their starters led the NL in ERA and can keep the team in tight games. Bryce Harper re-emerged as a catalyst, shrugging off effects of his first season to hit .333 with 10 homers over his final 38 games.

Path to victory: They'll need to establish their pitching prowess early. Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann, the first two in the playoff rotation, have been especially sharp late in the season. But the rotation's ERA is 4.15 since Strasburg's shutdown, compared with 3.29 before.

Prognosis: Having baseball's best record should make them the favorites. But their biggest potential pitfall is the best-of-five format with the first two games on the road.

Follow this guy: @Teddy26Nats. Now that Teddy got his Presidents' Race win, the drama is sure to ramp up. This faux account is worth a follow.

#hashtag to know: #Natitude. OK, it's a little weak because it's a marketing slogan. But it seems to have actually worked.

Locals only: Remember A-ha? Well you surely remember Take On Me, the one hit from these '80s wonders. That's one of outfielder Mike Morse's walk-up tunes, and it's become a midgame singalong classic.

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3. Cincinnati Reds

Why they're here: Won the NL Central with a 97-65 record.

Why they'll flounder: The offense sputtered all season, finishing ninth in the league in runs. It won't help that the Reds' first two games are at the San Francisco Giants against Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner pitched a one-hit shutout in his lone start against them this season. All-Star Joey Votto, coming off knee surgery, has yet to hit a home run since his Sept. 5 return.

Why they'll flourish: The Reds can match their rotation with any team's. It features four pitchers - Johnny Cueto, Bronson Arroyo, Mat Latos and Homer Bailey - who made at least 30 starts and threw more than 200 innings. Cueto (19-9, 2.78 ERA) is a true ace.

Path to victory: Truth be told, the Reds feel more comfortable facing the Giants than the Atlanta Braves. They won four of seven vs. the Giants this year, with three of the games decided by one run. The only National League playoff team to beat them up was the Washington Nationals.

Prognosis: The Reds might be the toughest read of any postseason team, according to scouts, who can't predict whether they'll lose in the first round or win the World Series.

#hashtag to know: #ALLREADY. That's when you know Phillips is set to do damage.

Locals only: Enter the main gates at Great American Ballpark and you'll see a mosaic honoring the 1869 and 1975 teams. In case you were wondering if there was any history here.

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4. San Francisco Giants

Why they're here: Won the NL West with a 94-68 record.

Why they'll flounder: The Giants' pitching is not nearly as sturdy as it was when they won the World Series in 2010. The staff ERA of 3.63 this September is almost two runs higher than that September's astonishing 1.78 mark, and there's no sure thing past Matt Cain. Without Brian Wilson, the Giants have gone to a bullpen-by-committee approach, which is hardly ideal in the playoffs.

Why they'll flourish: Finally, there's a functional offense to support their staff. San Francisco averaged five runs a game after the break - second-highest in the National League - as Buster Posey, Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford improved markedly on their first-half performances.

Path to victory: The Reds battered Cain for eight runs in 13 innings while beating him twice. The Giants need their ace to pitch to his usual standards and for Tim Lincecum to continue his second-half resurgence (3.83 ERA after the break, 6.42 before), to get past Cincinnati.

Prognosis: This time, the Giants find there's at least one NL pitching staff deeper than their own.

Locals only: Forget the cool music and gorgeous views at AT&T Park. Smell might be the ultimate sensory experience: Garlic fries mixed with the herb that inspired a thousand "Let Timmy Smoke" T-shirts.

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5. Detroit Tigers

Why they're here: Won the AL Central with an 88-74 record.

Why they'll flounder: There's little room for error in the postseason, and no team plays worse defense than the Tigers. They made 99 errors, second most among AL playoff teams. The back end of their bullpen suddenly has become shaky.

Why they'll flourish: Their starting rotation is the best of any postseason team, with their top quartet yielding a 2.46 ERA in September. Justin Verlander, a Cy Young Award candidate, finished September with a 5-1 record and 1.93 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 42 innings. Doug Fister and Anibal Sanchez were uncanny in September, with Fister yielding a 2.77 ERA and Sanchez a 2.11 ERA. And they have the most powerful 3-4 punch in the game in Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder.

Path to victory: You win with great starting pitching and impact bats in the postseason. The Tigers have plenty of it and will have a favorable pitching matchup in every game of their first-round series against the Oakland Athletics.

Prognosis: The Tigers have as strong a shot to reach the World Series as any team, particularly if they can survive defensive lapses and limit late-inning struggles.

Follow this guy: @JustinVerlander. Tweets sparingly, makes it worthwhile - such as a picture of the Tigers' fantasy football draft board.

#hashtag to know: #Keepthe-MVPintheD. Apparently this Cabrera fellow has a shot at it?

Why they'll flounder: Unless Brett Anderson returns from an oblique injury, all their starters will be rookies. Ponder that for a moment. Oakland's mad dash to the division crown obscured the rotation's struggles toward the end, when starters posted a 5.20 ERA and failed to complete five innings in 10 of 17 games.

Why they'll flourish: They have momentum and confidence, which sometimes go further than talent. The A's also found a nearly untouchable trio of late-game relievers in Sean Doolittle, Ryan Cook and Grant Balfour. Their hitters pounce on mistakes, belting a majors-high 112homers after the All-Star break.

Path to victory: To get past the Detroit Tigers, who had the majors' second-best starters' ERA after the break, the A's will need their offense to cash in on its opportunities. Coco Crisp is the catalyst.

Prognosis: It will be a tall order to get past the Tigers.

Follow this guy: @BMcCarthy32. He pretty much won Twitter when his first communication after life-threatening brain surgery was a tweet about his fantasy football team.

#hashtag to know: #OctoBernie. So the Weekend at Bernie's guy threw out the first pitch one game, leading to a song and dance called the Bernie Lean, leading to a video, so naturally OctoBernie.

Locals only: You want a modern baseball facility? Go elsewhere. You want drum circles, horns, players' significant others having a beer with the bleacher creatures? The Coliseum is your place.

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7. Atlanta Braves

Why they're here: Won an NL wild card with a 94-68 record.

Why they'll flounder: The Braves rely on several left-handed hitters, among them Michael Bourn, Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman and Brian McCann, making them vulnerable against lefties. They had an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .689 against left-handed pitchers, 11th in the NL.

Why they'll flourish: The Braves have won 23 consecutive games started by Kris Medlen, a major league record. That makes him the ideal candidate to take the ball in today's one-game playoff against the St.Louis Cardinals. The Braves compiled the majors' second-best ERA after the All-Star break (2.87), so they're primed to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Path to victory: Provided they beat the Cardinals, the Braves could present a challenge for the Washington Nationals in the division series. After Medlen, Tim Hudson, Mike Minor, Paul Maholm and a sturdy bullpen provide pitching depth.

Prognosis: The Braves oust the Cardinals and take the Nationals to five games before bowing out.

Follow this guy: @RealCJ10. Also known as Chipper Jones. In his 19th and last big-league season, he's Twitter's rookie of the year.

#hashtag to know: #Yicketty. It's Chipper-speak. Hint: Jones went #Yicketty 468 times in his career.

Why they'll flounder: The Rangers lost seven of their last nine and won back-to-back games once from Sept.23 on. The offense tailed off at the end, batting .217 with runners in scoring position as Texas lost 10 of 17, and the starting pitching was inconsistent.

Why they'll flourish: Manager Ron Washington thinks one postseason win can get the Rangers going again. They led the majors in runs. Wild-card game starter Yu Darvish pitched well down the stretch, and Derek Holland was brilliant at times during the postseason last year.

Path to victory: Texas needs its first two hitters in the lineup, Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus, to ignite the offense again. They batted .207 and .233, respectively, in September and October as the club collapsed. Starting pitchers need to reassert themselves.

Prognosis: With Darvish, the Rangers have a good chance to get past the Orioles, but they might not be much of a match for the Yankees in the Division Series.

Legends. A nod to the fabulous mascot race that takes place in the sixth inning. A costumed Earl Campbell vs. Nolan Ryan? It gets no better.

Locals only: Greene's Hill is where home runs land beyond center field. Most of them are caught by @greenhillkid, who usually ends up on SportsCenter.

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9. Baltimore Orioles

Why they're here: Won the second AL wild card with a 93-69 record.

Why they'll flounder: They've used 12 starting pitchers and have allowed more baserunners per inning than any other playoff rotation. That doesn't bode well with baseball's top-scoring teams, the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees, in their path.

Why they'll flourish: Orioles relievers amassed the most innings in the AL, but closer Jim Johnson has 51 saves and the five relievers with the most appearances have ERAs under 2.65. That's why their one-run-game record is an uncanny 29-9.

Path to victory: They thrive on their underdog status. Nobody wants to lose to "that team." They'll need to score - probably early - to avoid the blowouts that left them with a negative run differential until the final week of the season. Chris Davis and Mark Reynolds combined for 17 homers and 40 RBI over the final month.

Prognosis: They start by facing Yu Darvish, whom they've never seen. The Orioles have defied logic all season with a magic that seems unsustainable. It could easily be over in a few innings.

Follow this guy: @SimplyAJ10. Center fielder Adam Jones is resolute and inspiring, all at once. And tweets plenty of food photos, too.

#hashtag to know: #MuscleonRussell. Referring to the street that passes by Camden Yards and the Baltimore Ravens' M&T Bank Stadium. Yes, there's a mutual affinity between these birds.

Locals only: Ready for Camden Style? Hopefully the world gets to see Charm City's take on this year's global dance phenomenon.

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10. St. Louis Cardinals

Why they're here: Won the second NL wild card with 88-74 record.

Why they'll flounder: They won't have the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros to pick on in the playoffs; they won 21 of 32 games vs. those teams. Kyle Lohse was 16-3 with a 2.86 ERA in the regular season but has a career postseason record of 0-4 with a 5.54 ERA. He was hit hard in his lone start vs. the Atlanta Braves on May30, yielding nine hits and five runs.

Why they'll flourish: The Cardinals relish the idea of being underdogs again. No one gave them a chance last season, and they pulled off an upset in every round, winning the World Series. They are deep in pitching with four 13-game winners and a bullpen that features 42-save closer Jason Motte.

Path to victory: No one in the league will have a tougher minefield. Surviving the Braves and Kris Medlen means a date with the pitching-rich Washington Nationals; they were 14-20 against the NL East.

Prognosis: One and done. The Cardinals are in the postseason simply because of the expanded format.

Follow this guy: @ShelbyMiller19. Just a month into his major league career, the kid's a bit more spontaneous than many of the club's buttoned-down vets.

#hashtag to know: #happyflight. It's a year old. So what? Coined by Rafael Furcal, the Cards' celebration of a successful getaway day is ingrained in the sports lexicon.

Locals only: If they return to St.Louis, beware of the Rally Squirrel. He became a celebrity in last year's run and stills calls Busch Stadium home, according to the team.